Horse racing notes: 2-year-old filly West Omaha makes debut at Churchill Downs in Kentucky

Local racing fans have another horse to cheer, courtesy of Omahans Gary and Mary West.

The 2-year-old filly West Omaha recently made her debut at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Sired by West Coast — third-place finisher in the 2017 Breeders Cup Classic — West Omaha went off at 3-1 odds and finished second.

“It was her first time out and she kind of got left at the gate,” Wests’ racing manager Ben Glass said. “She made a belated run and just missed.”

West Omaha also fell victim to some inexperienced running by Candy Landy, who won the race but was disqualified for interference. Floored, who finished a nose ahead of West Omaha, was declared the winner.

“If she would have gotten a clean race, she would have won,” Glass said. “She’s a tall, rangy filly who looks like a real runner.”

Glass said he understands that it’s fun for local racing fans to cheer for horses with a connection to Nebraska.

“They own a house in West Omaha, so maybe that’s where it came from,” he said. “Gary has a lot of horses with ‘West’ in the name, but I think this is the first with ‘Omaha’ in it.”

West Omaha, ridden by Florent Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, earned $24,000 for the runner-up finish in the maiden race.

Gering seeks track

The Gering Planning Commission recently gave its stamp of approval on a new conditional-use permit for the property that would become a quarter horse racetrack and casino resort.

If the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approves a license for the proposed facility, it would be constructed in stages. The racing end would include a 5/8-mile track, two 200-stall barns and other structures.

That construction would need to be completed before a casino license application would be considered.

Rich Strike update

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has taken over the conditioning of Rich Strike, longshot winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

The 4-year-old son of Keen Ice last ran for Derby-winning trainer Eric Reed in the Alysheba Stakes on May 5. Since then, owner Rick Dawson announced the split with Reed following a disagreement over possible movie rights.

Rich Strike, who has been rehabilitating from scar tissue in both front legs, might return to racing in December. Dawson hopes to run the horse in the Pegasus World Cup at Florida’s Gulfstream Park in late January.

Accident claims colt

Nobody Listens, winner of the recent Turf Monster Stakes at Parx racetrack in Philadelphia, died in a freak accident the day after the race.

The horse got spooked by a loud highway noise while riding in his trailer. Nobody Listens slipped in his boxed stall and hit something that caused him to sever an artery.

The 5-year-old Indiana-bred gelding had won the Turf Monster Stakes under jockey Tyler Gaffalione for his fourth consecutive victory. He had won 14 of 26 starts and earned more than $700,000.

Oaklawn names announcer

Matt Dinerman, the previous race caller at Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco, has been named track announcer at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

The 31-year-old has called races the past six years at Golden Gate, which will soon cease racing. He got his track announcing start in 2015 at Emerald Downs in suburban Seattle.

Past announcers at Oaklawn have included Terry Wallace and Vic Stauffer, who both called races at Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha. Wallace, who died in 2018, was the Oaklawn announcer for 37 years and called more than 20,000 consecutive races.

Jockey is injured

Jockey David Cabrera suffered a broken femur after a recent fall at Oklahoma’s Remington Park.

Cabrera, who was second in the rider standings, was the track’s leading jockey each year from 2018 through 2021. He won the Oaklawn title in 2022 and has won more than 1,700 races in his 10-year career.

Rough Canterbury finish

Minnesota’s Canterbury Park recently finished its race meet on a rough note with the final 10 races canceled due to riders’ concerns over the condition of the track.

Canterbury had a 13-race card scheduled for its closing night, but jockeys expressed concerns before the races even started after heavy rains saturated the track.

Three races were run on the turf course before the jockeys refused to ride the remainder of the card.

The track finished its 53-day meet with a mutuel handle of $47 million, less than half of what was wagered during last year’s 64-day meet. On-track attendance was up 16% despite shorter fields that dropped from a per-race average of seven horses to six.

Racing proponent dies

Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones recently passed away at age 84.

The former racing owner and breeder was a founding member of the Breeders Cup, serving an important role as a mediator when the concept was in jeopardy of falling apart.

As governor, Jones worked to promote Kentucky’s horse industry. He died Sept. 18.